


New Miserable Experience

by Endpoem



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:00:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23393659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Endpoem/pseuds/Endpoem
Summary: A mid-Nineties Star Wars AU loosely inspired by the Greg Mottola film Adventureland (2009).
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Rose Tico, Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	New Miserable Experience

The kitchen window was open, the air smelled like summer, and her grandfather, sitting alone at the table, was luminous in the morning sun. But on the counter, behind a carton of orange juice—the pulpy kind she hated—Rae spied a half-drunk bottle of vodka.

“Grandpa?” she managed.

The old man forced a smile. “Morning, kiddo,” he said.

She took a seat and put her right hand on the table, reaching out toward him. “You’re _drinking_.” There was a panic in her voice she hadn’t intended.

“The factory’s closing, sweetheart. Told us jus’ this morning.”

Rae was speechless; she’d never seen him like this before. Nor had she ever considered the possibility of him losing his job. They’d never dealt with anything quite like this—and so sudden. With the plant gone, where in town might a sixtysomething factory manager even go?

What, she wondered, would this mean for everything she had planned?

“I’m so sorry,” he told her. His maroon T-shirt was faded and torn, and his workplace—his former workplace—was screenprinted across the chest in white.

“My trip,” she said, “is s’posed to be in two weeks.”

“I’ve been on the phone all mornin’ trying to figure this out. I’ve got friends at the college; I know folks at city hall, and at the bank. We’ll be all right. But these things can take time.”

“Will we have to move?”

“My dear.” He took a deep breath, glancing out the window. A blue butterfly hovered on the other side of the screen. “It’s gonna get harder ’fore it gets easier.”

“No Europe, then. My whole summer is just— _done_. My friends’ll just get to go without me.”

“That’s one way o’ lookin’ at it.”

Rae sighed. “This was supposed to be my last big summer. Before everything changes.” For months, all she’d really thought about was seeing London, Paris, Venice, and all the countryside in between. She and her friends had spent their senior year researching and planning for this. They’d bought tickets for an Oasis show in Manchester. They’d stayed up late into the night joking about the Scottish men they planned on hooking up with. They hoped to see all there was to see of the old world.

“You did good in school, you worked hard, and you deserved to go. Jus’ like I deserved to retire in a few short years. But if we wanna get through this, I think it’s time we both make some sacrifices.”

“Yeah.” She glanced once more at the butterfly outside the window. “Guess so.”

“I think, m’dear, _you_ may have to get a job.”


End file.
